RESEARCH GUIDE

LEGAL WRITING AIDS


The written word is an important tool in any lawyer’s belt, and sometimes written advocacy is the only chance you’ll have to make your client’s argument. But writing, like any skill, takes practice, feedback, and guidance.  Whether you’re wrestling with grammar, word choice, style, or just trying to figure out how to frame an argument, sometimes it’s nice to have a little outside perspective. Here are some of the helpful books that we have on legal writing so that your next brief is polished and effective.

  Resource/Location Library/Call Number
Legal Drafting in a Nutshell, 5th ed. 4th Floor

KF250 .K86 2021
Also available as West Academic Publishing ebook

Legal Citation in a Nutshell, 3d ed.  

KF245.T47  2021
Also available as West Academic Publishing ebook

Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers: A Practical Reference, 5th ed. 4th Floor KF250 .B68 2021

Black's Law Dictionary, 11th ed.

4th Floor Reference Shelf
K1420.5 .I57 1988
Also available as Lexis ebook: Paul Edward Geller, gen. ed., International Copyright Law and Practice, 2021
A Brief Guide to Brief Writing: Demystifying the Memorandum of Law
4th Floor    KF251 .K65 2013 
Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage, 3d ed. 4th Floor Reference Shelf 
KF156 .G367 2011 
Effective Legal Writing Strategies
4th Floor
KF250 .E34 2011  
The Elements of Legal Style, 2d ed. 4th Floor  KF250 .G367 2002
The Elements of Style, 2d ed.
4th Floor
PE1408 .S772 2000
The Grammar and Writing Handbook for Lawyers
4th Floor

KF250 .E84 2011
Also available as Lexis ebook, 2014

Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Other Lawyering Skills, 3d ed.
4th Floor KF250 .S568 2011
Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation's Top Advocates
4th Floor
KF251 .G83 2011
The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts
4th Floor
KF251 .G37 2014
The Seven Deadly Sins of Legal Writing
4th Floor
KF250 .B58 2008
A Lawyer Writes: A Practical Guide to Legal Analysis, 3d ed
4th Floor
KF250 .C683 2018
Hereof, Thereof, and Everywhereof: A Contrarian Guide to Legal Drafting, 3d. Ed.
4th Floor

KF250 .D37 200

The Science Behind the Art of Legal Writing
4th Floor KF250 .C36 2015
The Lawyer's Essential Guide to Writing: Proven Tools and Techniques
4th Floor
KF250 .B83 2011
Thinking Like a Writer: a Lawyer's Guide to Effective Writing and Editing, 4th Ed.
4th Floor
KF250 .A76 2021
Legal Writing: A Judge's Perspective on the Science and Rhetoric of the Written Word, Robert E.  Bacharach, ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section
4th Floor
KF250 .B33 2020
Legal Writing and Analysis in a Nutshell, 5th ed.
4th Floor

KF250 .B34 2017
Also available as West Academic Publishing ebook

The Lawyer's Essential Guide to Writing: Proven Tools And Techniques
4th Floor
KF250 .B83 2011
Garner's Guidelines for Drafting and Editing Contracts
4th Floor
KF250 .G378 2019
The Redbook: a Manual on Legal Style, 5th ed.
4th Floor
KF250 .G375 2023
Strategic Legal Writing
4th Floor
KF250 .Z55 2008
ABA Basic Guide to Punctuation, Grammar, Workplace Productivity, and Time Management
4th Floor
KF250 .K73 2012
Writing to Win: the Legal Writer, rev. ed.
4th Floor
KF250 .S73 2012